Returned
by Lady Cecilia Rose
Summary: He was sure he was dead. There was blood and pain and... yeah. So he was pretty sure he was dead. But he really didn't feel dead...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed. Duh.

_This is set just after the end of season six. After that I make it up myself, so I'm sorry if I screw up random important things, I haven't seen enough of it to get it all right!_

**Prologue**

The world had finally stopped spinning. He had a massive headache. Dying, after all, wasn't one of life's most pleasant experiences. But, as he was dead, should he even have a headache? Wasn't heaven supposed to be painless and all?

He tried opening his eyes. Everything was dark. God, what if he was blind? Wait. Why should it matter? Wasn't he supposed to be dead? He shook his head and tried to sit up.

"Ugh…" he groaned. That made the spinning come back. He lay back down and tried to think. He distinctly remembered being run through with a knife. He checked his side. Yup, that still hurt. He also remembered his father kneeling at his side, crying, telling him not to die. Then it all went black.

Well, obviously, he wasn't quite dead yet. Though if this headache got any worse he might wish it. He tried sitting up slowly. That was a little better, though it put more pressure on the wound in his side.

He took a look around, trying to get his bearings. He got such a shock that he completely forgot his pain.

He was back were he started.

"Who's in there?" A woman's voice called from behind the very familiar door. She started pounding on said door. "Open this door immediately!"

In shock, he just stared at the door. He was back, back at the beginning. Hadn't he changed the future? Hadn't he accomplished his mission? What if he was back in his own future? What if nothing had changed for him?

That would suck.

"That's it, I'm bustin' open this door."

The door slammed open with a flash of magic and smoke. The witch responsible stalked in, her annoyed expression and the fact that she was in her nightie promised retribution.

She stood over him. "Chris? What the hell is goin' on here? And why are you on the floor?"

He looked up at her in disbelief.

"Mom?"

_A/N- My first fanfic! Please review and tell me what you think! I was watching Charmed reruns and decided to write this while I was 'in the zone'. I have some ideas for continuing this, so tell me if you'd like to read them! I kinda want to make this a romance, b/c that's the kind of cheesey person I am. Please please please review!_

_With luck and love,_

_Lady C_


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, though it'd be really really nice to own Chris...

**Chapter 1**

_She stood over him. "Chris? What the hell is goin' on here? And why are you on the floor?"_

_He looked up at her in disbelief._

"_Mom?"_

"Yes?" Piper looked down at her son. Something wasn't quite right. "Chris, are you alright?"

"Yes. No. Um… Mom, what year is it?"

Piper blinked. "Honey… What happened?" She knelt by her son and started checking to make sure he was still in one piece. She gasped. "Oh my God, you're covered in blood. Leo!" she called.

Chris grabbed her hand. "No, Mom, I'm fine."

"No you're not f-"

"Mom!" he interrupted. "What year is it?"

His serious tone of voice made Piper pause. "Chris, it's 2026. What did you do?"

"2026… That's the year I left but…" He turned to his mother. "You're alive."

Piper looked in her son's eyes, searching for an explanation.

And that is when exhaustion kicked in and Chris passed out.

Some time later, he woke to his father's worried face above him. "Leo…" He paused. "Dad?"

Leo's expression darkened. "Leo…? Chris, are you alright?" He leaned over to help Chris sit up. "What happened?"

Chris looked around. He was on the living room couch, his mother and his aunts were all there, looking at him with nearly identical expressions of concern on their faces, and all in their night clothes. If he hadn't been as worried as they were, he would have laughed.

Phoebe came closer. "Chris? I'm getting a lot of mixed feelings from you." She sat down on the coffee table. "Please tell us what happened."

Chris took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment to collect his thoughts.

"Honey?"

Chris looked up. "Just tell me one thing first. How is Wyatt?"

"Wyatt?" Piper gave him a weird look. "Wyatt is fine. He's at med school."

"No. I mean…" Chris paused. "Is he… good?"

Paige's eyes widened in understanding. She looked to her sister. "Phoebe…"

Phoebe understood the question in Paige's eyes. She turned to Piper, whose face had just gotten very serious.

"Chris, your brother… he's not evil."

Chris's body sagged with relief and he put his face in his hands. _Thank God,_ he thought._ Thank God._

Leo put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Chris, what did you do?"

Thank God his plan had worked, all he had sacrificed, all his efforts had not been wasted. He suddenly realized something. If he was here, where was the other Chris, the one that was born the day he 'died'?

He looked into his family's faces. He could just imagine how easily their concerned faces would change into ones of suspicion and distrust. He'd seen it often enough before. When they found out that he wasn't who they thought he was… _It will be just like old times_, he thought wryly.

"What day is it?" he asked, stalling.

Leo answered. "It's your birthday."

_Too many coincidences._ He sighed. So why would he be here, not dead, and on his 22nd birthday? "Around midnight, I started having these weird dreams," he lied quickly. "They were really real, almost like memories. They were really strange and, well, a bit frightening." Inwardly Chris winced, hoping to all that's holy that the 'real' Chris would say something like that. "When I woke up again, I decided to check the Book, to see if there was a dreamless sleeping potion or something I could use."

"Chris!" Piper admonished. "You know that you shouldn't use those potions! They're too strong for everyday nightmares."

Chris looked down, easily slipping into the part of the ashamed son. "I know, and I'm sorry, but the dreams really started freaking me out. When I got to the attic, I must have fallen asleep or blacked out or something-" This lie was getting easier and easier. He didn't even have to think about it. Best of all, they were totally buying it. "-because I had another dream. This one was about being stabbed by an Elder and dieing." He looked at his mother. "When I woke up I was on the floor with a hole in my side."

He knew he'd hit the mark with that last comment. He could see the old pain and sadness in their eyes as they remembered that day. He felt an odd pang of guilt at reopening that wound, but he ignored it. He needed them to tell him his story.

He put a bewildered expression on his face. "Mom? Aunt Paige? Aunt Phoebe? Dad? What's the matter?"

Piper exchanged a look with her husband.

Leo nodded.

She sighed shakily. "Honey there's something we should tell you. We probably should have told you a while ago, but we wanted to wait in case something like this happened."

She closed her eyes but Chris could still tell that she was trying not to cry. Had they really been mourning him this long? Astonished, Chris listened to his mother tell him the story of a Whitelighter witch who had saved the world.

--------------------------------------------------------------------(apparently FF.N doesn't like to give me some space here...)

_Please give me feedback! I will probably continue to revise the hell out of this, so any input will be welcomed, even flames, so long as they're constructive._

_Thanks to _**-0-charmed-freak-0-, tinevisce, XBlackXBirdXCykeX**_ for their encouragement!_

_With luck and love,_

_Lady C_


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Charmed is not mine. Alas.

_After some interesting loading errors, here is chapter 2! A quick note: The past two chapters happen early in the morning. I added a few things here and there in the first chapters about them all being in their night clothes. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 2**

After freeing himself from his parents' smothering, loving care, he headed upstairs to his bedroom. He really really really needed to sleep. It was far too early for this.

The whole thing was blowing his mind. A day ago he was still hoping that his family trusted him long enough for him to change the future. Now he was reeling from how much they had really cared for him. He would never have thought… but he should have guessed. Piper… his mom… was a loving person. She cared fiercely for anyone she considered family. His father was very loyal and protective of the people he trusted. But still… after all the mistrust and all the lies he'd told…

Chris sighed. All this would be ten times easier to figure out after some sleep. Apocalyptic battles and near death experiences tend to wear you out.

He fumbled through the drawers of the dresser in his room, pleased to find that the Chris Halliwell of this timeline was as much of a slob as he was. He changed into a nightshirt (a/n- now let all the fangirls imagine a momentary flash of barechestedness… drool… Ok, back to the story.) and flopped onto the half unmade bed. If he was lucky, he wouldn't dream tonight. Exhaustion lulled him straight into sleep.

Unfortunately, this was not his lucky day.

This was not Chris Halliwell's lucky day. Night. Whatever. He started off sleeping normally, on the eve of his 22nd birthday. His parents had been acting a little strange, but nothing terribly out of the ordinary. Then he'd started having these bizarre nightmares that seemed terribly real. Wyatt turning evil, his mother dead, time travel, plenty of demon fights and getting thrown against a wall, mistrust, evil plots… All in all, not the sort of dreams he was used to having.

So he'd gotten up to get a drink of water, when he'd been irresistibly drawn to the attic and the Book.

"Next thing I know, there's some guy in my head who thinks he's me! Mind telling me what the hell is going on here?"

Chris started. Well, more like his dream self started. He looked down at himself. He seemed to be standing on some sort of gray dream plain… thing. He turned around. There, sitting on the 'ground' was… himself. "What the hell?"

The identical Chris stood up. He looked himself in the eye. "Exactly what I'd like to know, mister Let's-possess-and-impersonate-the-Twice-Blessed's-little-brother."

Chris stared in horror. "I cannot believe you just said that. That has got to be the lamest-"

Other Chris glared. "Well excuse me, but you'd be cranky too if you just got possessed by some psycho."

"I am _not _a psycho. I'm from the future." Chris paused. "Well, not really. I mean, I was, but then I came back, and the future was different and… Yeah. That didn't make any sense, did it?"

"None whatsoever."

'Uh huh. How much did you hear of what Mom told me… us?"

Other Chris shook his head. "Nothing. Because _somebody_ had taken over my body…"

"Get over it. Honestly. I didn't do it on purpose." Chris thought a moment. "Well, I suppose the best place to start is to tell you what Mom and Dad said about me."

"Oh?" asked Other Chris, clearly annoyed. "And what is that, Mister Body-thief ?"

Chris glared viciously. He_ so_ didn't like himself right now. "That I saved all our lives. I escaped a very dark future to warn our parents of the evil things that were about to ruin all our lives. If it wasn't for me, Mom would be dead and Wyatt would be evil and bent on destroying the world! Are you getting any of this Mister I-Make-Up-Lame-Ass-Names-For-Everything?"

The other Chris looked skeptically at him. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Dude, demons don't make up complicated stories like that. They have no subtlety."

"True. But still. How do I know you're not just some magical thing after Wyatt or Priss or the Charmed Ones?"

"Well, how about I… Wait. Who's Priss?"

"Priss? Priss is Pricilla, my sister."

Chris's mouth dropped to the floor. He'd never considered that possibility before. He should have. In a better world, of course his parents would have more children. He shook his head. More on that later. "Um. Ok. Well, what I was going to say, is that I could just show you my memories."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"Well ,we're in some sort of dreamscape, right? I should be able to just remember it and dream about it."

"If you say so, Mister-"

"Don't. Even."

"Alright, alright. Whatever. Make with the dreaming or we'll never be up in time for breakfast."

Chris sighed and started to think.

"Don't think too hard, you might hurt yourself."

Chris sighed harder. Meditating would probably be the easiest way to center his thoughts and show this brat-Chris exactly what he'd been through to help preserve this life. 'Was I ever this obnoxious?' he wondered.

As Chris concentrated, the landscape began to change.

--

_Chris as a child, watching as demons tried again and again to take his big brother away. Why did everyone want Wyatt so much? "I don't understand…"_

_Chris, 11 years old, his mother standing over him. "Chris, I know you want to go to magic school, but you're simply not old enough."_

"_But Mom, Wyatt went last year, why can't I go now?"_

"_Baby… Wyatt needs very badly to control his powers because he's so strong. You don't have to worry about that yet. You get to have a normal life for a while. Maybe in a few years you can go."_

_He sighed in frustration. She must care more about Wyatt's safety than his. "Fine," he whispered tearfully. "I'll just teach myself."_

_-_

_Chris, 14 years old, standing over the still body of his mother._

_-_

_Chris and Wyatt arguing heatedly._

_-_

_Chris and Wyatt fighting in the Underworld._

_-_

_Chris, 20 years old, standing in the smoldering ruins of the magic school, crying tears of rage as the bodies of family and friends lay around him. The only reason he was still standing was because Wyatt still thought he could use him. "Not now. Not ever. I will never help you."_

_-_

_Chris, 22 years old, standing in a manor that had yet to be torn apart by war or fear. The place held the hope for the future. His future. His family's future. The world's future. His mission._

_-_

_Chris fighting demons._

_-_

_Chris finding love and losing it once again to his brother's evil. Anger and sadness saturated his being._

_-_

_Chris finally telling the whole story to the people he cared most about, his family. That family accepting him the way he had always envisioned it, despite the doubts that still plagued his uneasy mind._

_-_

_Chris, lying on a bed, his father kneeling over him, weeping, begging him not to die._

_-_

_Chris, waking up to find his mother alive and well again._

--

"Now do you see?" he asked quietly.

----

_Thanks so much for the support everyone! **-0-charmed-freak-0-, sakuraloveskyosohma, tinevisce, Why, Princess in the Pea, The Sword of Truth, **and **Dani**, thank you! I really appreciate the feedback!_

_Now a very special thank you to GD-7 for my inspiration for this chapter. While I don't intend on copying the relationship between Draco and Darian, that is where I got this idea. Now everyone should go read Flight of the Thestrals so that they know what I'm talking about!_

_With luck and love,_

_Lady C_


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Charmed is not mine. Alas.

_I'm so glad you liked that little twist! I won't tell you exactly what I'm planning, obviously, but I will tell you that the reason I'm doing it like this is because I really want to write a happy ending. Can you imagine the kind of conflict just replacing one Chris with another would cause? So I figured I'd write a story about a Chris who will grow and change, instead of one who rehashes all the same shite again. Good deal? Ok! On with the chappie._

_ps. I fixed my formatting problems in the last chapter, so now it will be easier to read, and please tell me if you don't get my formatting in this chapter with all the 'thought-speak' going on in this chap.  
_

**Chapter 3**

Chris stumbled downstairs around a quarter to nine.

'Now remember, I love eggs and bacon, don't like toast, and I won't drink orange juice unless I'm sick,' said the voice in his head.

"I know, I know," Chris grumbled in reply. He and himself had shared a long night of exchanging memories and coming to terms with each other. Neither was quite satisfied with the arrangement, but they had agreed to make to best of it and play the part until they figured out what to do next. He sighed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He really didn't feel rested at all, and now he had to deal with this voice in his head. It seemed that now that he knew about the other Chris, he could hear his thoughts, and visa versa.

His mother's voice floated up from the kitchen. "Chris? Are you up yet?"

"Coming mom," he replied. He entered the kitchen. He sniffed the air and smiled. "Yum. Whatcha makin'?" he leaned over his mother's shoulder to pear at the stove.

She flipped some of the bacon on the frying pan. "Your favorite of course," she replied.

He leaned on her shoulder and pecked her on the cheek. The voice in his head said that this was a good thing to do. Then he turned and wandered over to set the table.

'What are you doing?' said the Chris in his head. 'I always refuse to set the table!"

_Then you're a spoiled brat,_ Chris thought.

'Am not.'

"Chris?"

"Yeah?" He turned to face her with plates still in hand.

The look on her face was pure disbelief. "You're actually setting the table?"

"Um, yes?" he said, all the while thinking, _oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit…_

A worry shadowed her face for a moment before she smiled at him. "Thank you darling."

Chris let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and smiled back. "You're welcome. It's the least I can do when you're making such a wonderful breakfast!"

She laughed a little, her worry gone for the moment. "You're welcome sweetie."

He turned and finished setting the table just as his father walked in.

"Morning dear." Leo leaned over and kissed his wife on the cheek. "Morning son. Happy birthday." Leo ruffled his son's hair affectionately. "How'd you sleep after last night?"

Chris fixed his hair to hide his astonishment. He could feel the bond between his other self and their dad. It almost made him jealous. "I slept okay."

Leo started pouring milk into their glasses. "Any more dreams?"

Chris's first impulse was to say no, to deny everything, but he could tell that that wasn't what this other Chris would have done. He was much more trusting. Of course, this timeline had never given him any reason to _not_ trust his parents. Instead he told a half truth. "A few. Nothing too bad though."

"I see," said Leo, looking a little troubled.

"Dad, don't worry about it." He passed his dad the creamer for his coffee. "I'm alright. Just a bit surprised."

"Well, of course you are dear. Anyone would be if they started having flashbacks to another time." Piper carried their breakfast over to the table. "There we go." She wiped off her hands and sat down to eat.

Chris took a bit bite of bacon and just started to sip his glass of milk when his mother dropped the bomb.

"So, are you ready for the party this afternoon?"

Chris choked on the effort not to spew his bacon all over his mother.

"Chris?"

"P-party?" me managed. He swallowed. "This afternoon?"

'Shit. I knew I forgot to mention something,' he heard the other Chris murmur in his head. 'Sorry.'

"Yeah, your birthday party. With the family?" Piper looked at her son questioningly.

Chris was hyperventilating.

'Oh God no. Did she invite everyone?' The Chris in his head moaned.

"Did you invite _everyone_?" Chris asked his parents, trying to imitate the tone of disbelief and horror of the voice in his head.

Leo rolled his eyes and picked up the newspaper. Apparently this argument was old hat around here.

"Dear, of course I did. I can't just invite everyone, except her. She's family."

_Her? Who's her? _Chris asked himself. "But mom!"

"Chris, she's your cousin. I know you don't like her but you'll just have to deal with her."

'We need to get out of here,' the voice in his head told him. 'I usually storm off to sulk somewhere after this argument anyway.'

_That's really mature._

'You do it too.'

_Do not._

Chris sighed loudly. He grabbed another piece of bacon and a last gulp of milk and stood up.

"Chris? Where are you going?" His mother's worried tone stopped him for a moment.

"Out," he said shortly.

"Just be back in time for lunch," his father said, still reading the paper.

"Yeah, I will." He orbed out.

--

Chris appeared at his favorite place to think. The view was still gorgeous from on top of the Golden Gate Bridge.

"So what do we do now?" Chris asked himself aloud.

'Well, I'm going to have to train you in how to deal with the mob that is our family.'

"And in who is who." He watched the cars go by beneath him. "Who is it that I'm supposed to detest so much?"

'Patience Kira Halliwell-Strickler. Terrorizer of my life since we were kids.'

"Whose daughter is she?"

'Aunt Phoebe's.'

Chris sighed. This really was too much to deal with all at once. Suddenly he remembered something. "I do not storm off and sulk."

---

_Once again, I really appreciate all the feedback and all the love! Thank you **-0-charmed-freak-0-, jjeeff185, sakuraloveskyosohma, Princess in the Pea**, and **Plutobaby494** for your reviews! I hope everyone liked this chapter as much as the last ones! Next chapter gets interesting, I promise._

_With luck and love,_

_Lady C_


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Charmed is not mine. Alas.

_Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait, vacation and all. The fun part is that on vacation we spent two and a half days in sunny San Fransisco! Talk about your inspirational trips. Though you never see on the show how bad the traffic really is in San Fran…_

_Anyways, glad you've enjoyed the story so far! On with the show!_

**Chapter 4**

_Chris appeared at his favorite place to think. The view was still gorgeous from on top of the Golden Gate Bridge._

_--_

The manor was currently in its usual state of pre-battle uproar. Phoebe had called in her latest vision, and the sisters were getting ready to head out for the demon hunt.

"Ugh. Why does it have to be now? I still have to finish preparing the party food and the family is going to be here in a few hours…"

Leo stopped his wife with a meaningful look. "Piper. It will all be fine, and you know that the rest of the family will completely understand if they have to wait a while for dinner."

She gave a frustrated sigh and ran her hand through her hair. "I know, I know. I would just rather that they didn't _have_ to wait." She picked up her jacket and her keys. "Just make sure you put the roast in at 375 in an hour so at least_ that_ will be done on time."

Leo helped her put on her jacket.

She turned and gave him a quick peck. "And if Chris isn't back in an hour, go get him please. Tell him I said he should help you set up."

Leo grinned. He knew Chris wouldn't like that. He'd probably moan and grouse about it the entire time. "Bye honey. Be careful." He closed the door behind her.

-

Fifteen minutes later, the Charmed sisters were standing in the hallway of an apartment building in downtown San Francisco. They turned the corner just in time to hear screams coming from door 204.

Phoebe ran up and kicked in the door. The sisters ran into the room in battle formation, powers at the ready.

Three demons were standing in the room. The closest turned and shot a fireball at the sisters. Paige orbed it away before throwing a chair at him, knocking him over the couch and onto the floor.

The other two demons noticed the sisters' presence. The ugliest one had a woman in a chokehold, while the other was struggling with a man and a table leg. Mr. Ugly threw a fireball ball at Phoebe, who dodged it.

Paige ducked behind an armchair. "Piper! Freeze them!"

As Piper raised her hands, a forth demon ran in the room from the hallway behind her, fireball in hand. He pitched it at Piper, who ducked just in time, but was knocked to the floor by the aftershock. Paige immediately went to her side.

"No sign of the kids," growled the new demon.

"Never mind," snapped Mr. Ugly. "We can't wait for their brats. Grab both of them."

The woman suddenly jabbed Mr. Ugly in the stomach, loosening his hold on her for a moment. "Don't let them take my babies! They'll hurt them!" she screamed at the sisters.

"Shut up," said the demon as he knocked her unconscious. "Let's go!" he growled to his cohorts.

"Oh no you don't!" shouted Phoebe. She levitated upwards for a flying kick just as all four demons shimmered out, taking their innocents with them.

Phoebe came back to earth with a thud. "Damn it! Ow."

Paige helped Piper stand up. "You alright?" she asked.

"Ow. Ow ow ow ow. Yes. Ow. We need to find, ouch, those kids."

Phoebe slowly got up off the floor. "I think they found us."

Paige and Piper turned and followed Phoebe's gaze to the door. Standing there was a young woman holding the hand of a little boy.

"Who are you?" The young woman was as white as a sheet. "Where are my parents?"

"Well, um, I'm Phoebe, and this is Piper and Paige, and, well, do you believe in magic?"

"Phoebe!" hissed Piper.

"Trust me. I can tell…" she whispered.

Paige and Piper rolled their eyes and sighed. Empaths. Honestly.

The siblings' eyes grew wide at the mention of magic. They looked at each other anxiously. "Yes, we believe in magic." said the young woman. She looked up at Phoebe. "Why?"

Piper spoke up instead. "Because we're witches and we've got to get you outta here before the demons come back for you. Paige? I think it's best for you to take them to the manor yourself while Phoebe and I take the car."

"You sure that's alright?" asked Paige uncertainly.

"Yeah. We're obviously supposed to protect them." She shooed Paige away. "Go, go. Pheebs and I will be fine."

Paige sighed and put on her 'back to business' face. "Alright, hold my hands, this may feel a little weird."

The boy looked up at his sister, who nodded. They took Paige's hands.

Piper and Phoebe watched as the three became swirling spots of blue light and disappeared.

"Hey Piper, do you think that we'll have enough food at the party to feed them too?"

"Oh stop it." Piper slapped her sister lightly. She stopped abruptly as she spotted something. "That's strange."

"What?"

Piper walked over to a decimated bookshelf. On the wall behind where it once stood was a perfect square of drywall that had fallen out of place, revealing the dark space behind it. "A secret panel? In an apartment?"

"That's sure what it looks like," said Phoebe. "It's lower than eyelevel and they covered it with a bookshelf. The best place to hide things_ is_ in plain sight."

Piper leaned down and pushed the panel out of the way. "There's something in here." Piper reached in. "Oof. Got it." She pulled out a heavy, dusty old book. "Maybe this is what they were after?"

"Here, let me look." Phoebe took the book from Piper. The dust was thick but the leather shone like new when Phoebe brushed off the cover. "Look, there's a design here. A flower or something…"

"Well? Open it."

Phoebe opened to the first page. Written in large script was the word 'Hyakinthos'.

"Hyakinthos? Doesn't that sound kind of familiar to you?" asked Piper.

"Vaguely."

"Oh wait, there's something else down here." Piper pointed to the very bottom of the page. She began to read out loud. "Union of magic and blood together protect Jacinthe witches forever..."

"A protection spell," said Phoebe. "A big one. And an old one." She flipped through the pages of the book. "On a big old spell book. I don't even recognize most of these spells."

"Come on, those kids have got some explaining to do." Piper took the spell book and put it under her arm and the two sisters headed back home.

--

"I don't think I can pull this off, I don't know them like you do."

'Well you are the one who doesn't want to tell them the truth.'

"Are you kidding? We're better off if they don't know."

'Then you are just going to have to go through with it. Mom is going to send Dad or Aunt Paige after us soon.'

"Ok, just… let's go over it one more time."

'Right. Wouldn't want you to ruin my image and all.'

"What image?"

'Hey!'

---

_Sorry, not much Chris in this chapter, he's still sorting things out on the bridge, and I needed to introduce my new charactors! In any case, thanks for the great reviews from** -0-charmed-freak-0-**, **Lyra Skywalker**, **jjeeff185** (yes, the other Chris is a bit spoiled, but don't worry, he has his good points, just like our Chris!), **Plutobaby494**,_ _**Petites sorcières** (I can't answer your question yet, that might spoil the story!), **shewoe**, **crazyDFFgang**, **AnimeAlexis** (It's not that he's not nice, he's just pissed off right now and that's all you see of him at the moment. He's not a bad guy, I promise!), and __**kawaii-kun** (mmm half naked Chris and cherries...)_

_I'll try not to take so long updating this time!_

_With luck and love,_

_Lady C_


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Charmed is not mine. Alas.

_Didn't I promise not to take so long? sigh I beg your forgiveness! I promise I haven't given up on Returned, I just have not had the time this school year. Now that school is done, perhaps I will have a little more time… Maybe. Meanwhile, I live in eternal fear that TNT will stop running Charmed reruns…_

**Chapter 5**

He orbed into his room, planning to get a bit of a nap before the dreaded party. Unfortunately, his father had other plans.

"Dad! Do I have to?"

"Yes you do. Your mother is off fighting demons and she won't like you lazing about while the rest of us put together _your_ birthday stuff. So get down here and help me and Grandpa."

He didn't even have to channel his brat self, he was grumbling enough for both of them on the way down the stairs. His expression lightened, however, when he caught sight of his Grandfather. "Hey Grandpa." They exchanged hugs. At the prompting of his inner voice, he asked, "Where's Grandma Maggie?"

"Oh she'll be along with her kids shortly; they're all coming over together."

Grandpa Victor had remarried, recovering from his bad experience of marriage to a demon twenty-some years ago. He had married the widowed Margaret Lyndenburg, had his daughters check her background for anything remotely demonic, and the Halliwell family gained a whole new set of cousins.

Chris's apprehension lightened as he chatted with his grandfather. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard to do. After all, they were his family, and he knew his family like the back of his hand.

'Plus, you've got _me_ helping you out. You can't go wrong!'

Chris resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _That's really reassuring_, he thought to himself.

"OK, the kids are all settled, I think Cassie might come down for food, but Cal is out like a light, poor kid."

Chris looked up in surprise. "Auntie Paige? When did you get home?"

"I orbed in a little while ago, didn't you hear?"

"He was probably still off sulking when you came in," Leo teased. He handed Chris a streamer. "Wave that up there, will ya?"

"I was not sulking," he said as he magically finished decorating. "Who are Cassie and Cal?"

"We went to fight demons, we got there and the demons took off with their mom and dad. Cassie and Cal show up not five minutes later. So now we protect them, rescue their parents, vanquish demons, and save the world. Again."

"So, same old same old?"

"Yeah. Give me that!" She took a streamer from Leo. "That is so not the way you do it." She fixed the offending decoration and put it expertly in its place.

-

When Piper and Phoebe walked in the front door fifteen minutes later, they hung up their coats, Piper put her keys away and called for her hubby.

"In the kitchen!"

She walked into the aromatic kitchen and sniffed appreciatively. "Smells lovely." She leaned in for a peck then showed him the book. "Hun, would you take a look at this?"

Leo wiped his hands off and took the spell book in his hands. He opened it and read the title page as the sisters had done. "Jacinthe?" He looked at his wife. "Where did you find this?"

"In the apartment that had just been ransacked by a bunch of demons. They were after the kids, but they took their parents instead. I think they were after this book too."

"You're probably right. This belongs to an old, long line of witches. They went underground a long time ago, even as far as the magic community goes. No one's heard form them in years though." Leo flipped through the book with the eyes of a magical scholar. "Amazing."

"Hey mom, dad. Grandpa and I are finished decorating." Chris wandered into the kitchen.

"Hey honey. Could you get Paige for me please?" Piper took the book from Leo and placed it on a clean spot on the table. "We need to figure this out before the family gets here."

_Ding Dong!_

"Apparently not…"

"Chris, just get the door and your aunt please?"

"Okay, okay. Jeez." Chris ambled out of the kitchen and into the foyer. He stuck his head into the living room where his aunt was perfecting the streamers. "Auntie Paige? Mom wants you."

"Just great," she sighed. "Another demon hunt." The doorbell rang again. "Get the door, will you?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm goin'." Chris rolled his eyes.

"Don't give me that look," she said teasingly. Her back was already turned and she was heading out into the kitchen.

'She has eyes in the back of her head, I swear.'

Chris smirked to himself. _I agree_. He continued towards the door as the doorbell sounded again. "I'm coming, I'm coming." He opened the door.

"Hi Chris! Happy birthday!" He was taken aback by a warm hug from Sheila and the sight of Daryl standing smiling in the doorway with two younger versions of himself.

"Thank you," he managed to croak.

The taller of the two 'Daryl's' handed Chris a brightly colored gift bag and clapped him on the shoulder. "Happy birthday, man."

"Er… thanks. Uh, please, come in."

The shorter son grinned at him. "Should I put this in the kitchen or the dining room?" He lifted up a platter of homemade something.

'Awesome! She made the turnovers!'

Taking his cue from the voice, Chris made appropriate noises of hunger and approval before offering to take the tray himself.

"No way," said Sheila as she firmly handed him her family's jackets and sweaters. "I know you, you'll eat them all before you get to the kitchen." She waggled her finger at him teasingly. Her sons rolled their eyes and they all exchanged good natured grins over her head.

After a moment's panic at her rejection, he grinned back and threw up his hands. It was hard to get over the fact that yesterday Daryl wanted to hand his ass to him on a platter.

'You must have, like, zero people skills if you made Daryl want to kill you. The Morris's are the nicest people I know.'

_Shut up,_ he thought was he took their things into the spare room.

'I'm just sayin'.'

He muttered to himself. "I'm beginning to think you never 'just say' anything you dork."

'Hey, I resent-'

"What have I told you about talking to yourself? First sign of a deteriorating mind, you know."

He turned around, ready with a retort.

Leaning against the doorway was a tall blond man with preppy looking hair and wearing a dress shirt unbuttoned over his t-shirt. The smirk was so familiar yet held none of the malice that had haunted his nightmares for so long.

"Wyatt…"

_Thank you to all who reviewed, I hope you'll come back and do the same again, despite my being a bad author and not updating often. I can't promise to update soon, but I can promise to update eventually! Any constructive criticism would be more than welcome._

_With luck and love,_

_Lady C_

_There is no greater love than this  
There is no greater gift that can ever be given  
To be willing to die so another might live  
There is no greater love than this_

- Steven Curtis Chapman


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Charmed is not mine. Alas.

_Yeah, yeah, I know… Hope you didn't give up on me! Luv to all those who put me on alert or their favorites or reviewed!_

Chap 6

"Wyatt…" Chris stared at his brother, forgetting for a moment who and what and why and how.

"What?" Wyatt ducked into the room and looked into the mirror. "Is there something on my face?" He checked furtively.

"No no, you just surprised me from my thoughts is all." Chris lied with a practiced air. He grinned at his brother. "Glad you could make it!"

Wyatt stretched exaggeratedly. "I just needed a break from studying." He winked conspiratorially at his brother. "Plus, I couldn't let you suffer our loving family all by yourself now could I?" He suddenly jumped Chris and threw an arm around his neck.

Chris was so surprised he didn't know how to react. He decided later that this was a good thing because it would not have gone over well if he had thrown Wyatt into a wall for attempting to give him a noogie.

"As glad as I am for all the brotherly love going on in here, somebody needs to be greeting his guests."

The brothers turned to see their aunt leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and the characteristic half-smile-eyebrow-quirk on her face.

"Yes, Auntie Paige," they said in unison.

She rolled her eyes and left, muttering about nephews and unnecessary male bonding.

Wyatt released his chokehold on Chris.

"Sorry," they said together.

Wyatt grinned and threw his arm over his little brother's shoulders as they sauntered out of the room. "So how much food will we have left over this year? Enough to feed a small army?"

"A small country maybe…" Chris heard himself saying. His mouth was doing all the right things, smiling and laughing at Wyatt's lame joke, but his mind was seriously elsewhere. It was all so bizarre. For years, this was the person he had hoped against hope to see when he looked into his brother's eyes. There was not even the hint of darkness that Chris saw in his own eyes. If Chris had been any other person, he might have broken down right then and there. Tears and all. Hell, if he'd have been Chris Halliwell and not Chris Perry, he would have broken. As it was, this wasn't an option. He quickly oriented himself again to find Wyatt looking at him askance.

"Er, sorry. What?"

"Are you alright? You looked a little lost there for a second."

"Oh. Um, yeah, I just didn't sleep too well last night."

There was an unreadable expression on his brother's face, as if he wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. It cleared into his normal easygoing expression. "Nightmares about having to deal with Shenny?"

Chris gave a theatrical shudder. "She's enough to give anyone nightmares." They laughed together, falling into a pattern that was only familiar to half of him as they walked towards the front door.

* * *

A while later, Chris was beginning to wonder if anyone would miss him if he snuck away and never came back. Ever. His other self snickered quietly in the back of his mind. 

_Shut up. You are not helping._

'Of course not. I much prefer to watch you get picked on.'

_Haven't you ever heard of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'?_

'Thus, why I'm not helping you.'

_You're impossible._

'Thank you, I try.'

Chris sighed and turned his attention back to his cousin. Half cousin. Or something like that. She was rapidly talking at him about something to do with who was causing what scandal at school, which, apparently, is a huge deal when you are in the fifth grade. He played along like he figured he was supposed to, nodding solemnly at her when she looked at him expectantly. He glared at Wyatt over the girl's blond pigtails. His brother was bent nearly double with repressed laughter at his predicament. _So much for brotherly love._

"…and then _Sara_ said she wouldn't mind frenching Kevin even though he pushed her off the swing, because _her_ mom says that boys only do that to girls they like. What is a frenching anyway?" The doorbell rang just in time to save him.

"Ask Wyatt, he knows way more than I do," he said slyly. He tweaked a pigtail and stood up to get the door. She jumped off the couch, enthusiastically in search of an answer.

_It occurs to me to wonder why mom continues to throw birthday parties for her college-age children…_ he thought as he looked over his shoulder at the girl. She was asking her question. The consequential panic and horror that crossed Wyatt's face was priceless.

'You are so evil.'

_Thank you, I try,_ he quoted back at him.

He sighed as he reached for the door handle.

The sight that greeted him caused him such utter confusion that he froze in shock. His dazed mind took note of the fact that he _really_ needed to work on his reaction time, then he dropped to the floor in time to feel the breeze of the missiles that flew past his head and splattered across Piper's hardwood floors with a crash.

"Chris! You were supposed to _let_ the pies hit you!"

"W-what?"

"Are you _insane_?" Chris looked up to see his Aunt Phoebe stepping around the person in a pink bunny suit who had just chucked four whip cream filled pies at his head. "I told you no shenanigans this year, you little demon child. Hi Chris! Happy Birthday!" She helped him to his feet and wiped stray whipped cream off his cheek. "Did she get you? Not too much… Hmmm, your reaction time must be improving." She gave him a pat on the shoulder as she passed him into the house. "Piper! How are those kids?"

Piper, who had just entered the foyer from the kitchen, raised an eyebrow at the massacred pies on the floor. "Patience Kira Halliwell, what have I told you about making messes in my house?"

The bunny suit removed its head to reveal the girl inside. "To always clean up after myself," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Well?"

Patience Kira stepped through the threshold and waved her hand in an upsweeping motion. The conjured pies and bunny suit all disappeared in a flare of magic and left her standing unflustered in the center of the hallway.

Chris could hear his mother explaining that the kids were fine and how Paige had settled them in upstairs, and Phoebe explaining why it took her two hours to drive around the corner and back to bring her family, when it should have taken ten minutes. He was, however, not really listening because he felt rather like he had been through a level nine earthquake mixed with a hurricane all in the space of five minutes.

"What? No welcoming committee? Chris, really, you should have." His terror of a cousin put a hand on her popped her hip and frowned at him comically. She was about the same height as Phoebe, was obviously wearing her mother's old clothes (Chris was fairly sure he remembered that particular scandalous shirt), and resembled her in all ways except for eyes that were a trifle too wide set and a smirk right out of the days of Phoebe Queen of the Damned.

"Really, Shenny, you would think that picking on my brother would get boring after a while." A girl stepped out from behind Shenny and handed her a box and a platter. "Your mom and mine will want these."

"Oh, Priss you're no fun." Shenny pouted but obediently took the burden into the house. After she stuck her tongue out at him. Which he politely ignored.

Priss. Pricilla. His little sister. She looked just like those old pictures of Piper, the ones with Prue still in them. All long hair and wide smile and sparkling eyes that were blue instead of brown. "Hi big brother." She put her arms around him and gave him a hug, which he uncertainly returned.

"You came with Aunt Phoebe?"

"Yeah, I spent the night." She looked up at him and smirked. "You should have seen your face when you opened the door." She poked him in the side, just to see him twitch.

He rubbed the spot, pouting. "Ha ha. I think I'm terrified of bunnies now."

"We'll have to add that to the list of ways you're scarred for life now."

He threw an arm over his sister's shoulders, just the way Wyatt had done to him earlier, and they walked into the house. "Yeah, right in between lawn chairs and balloon animals."

_Again, I apologize to all for the wait! I hope you liked it. Please tell me, is Shenny too much? I wasn't quite sure how to introduce her as the bane of Chris's existence… Any constructive crit is always appreciated!_

_With luck and love,_

_Lady C_


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Charmed is not mine. Alas.

Chap 7

He tried not to stare, but he really couldn't help it. He was absolutely fascinated. For once the sarcastic voice is his head was silent, though he could nearly hear the buzzing of thoughts behind his own. He just couldn't help but watch Wyatt and Priss. They were currently engaged in a tickle war with some of the youngest cousins, while Shenny 'helped' any way she could. They were laughing; roll-on-the-floor with tears streaming down their faces laughing. He felt his own mouth quirk upwards at the sight.

'I never imagined we could be so carefree,' he thought.

_They've never had to see the things you've seen. We've never been touched by lasting evil. Mom and Dad always made sure of that._

'Yeah. I don't think I've ever seen everyone so relaxed.'

Priss suddenly looked up at him and her smile faltered slightly. The look was gone in a second though, and Chris smiled at her. She grinned in response before an eleven-year-old tackled her to the floor once again.

"Hey."

Chris turned to see his mother standing behind him. "Hey."

She put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "You ok?"

"Yeah." He leaned his other shoulder against the door frame. "Just a little overwhelmed."

Piper smiled at her tall son. She reached up to push back his bangs. "You've always been my quiet one. You need a haircut."

'You were the quiet one?' He smirked. "Yes Mom."

_Well, look at the rest of them..._

She cocked her head and studied him. "Hmm."

He raised his eyebrows. "What?"

Placing her hand on his cheek, she seemed to come to the conclusion that whatever had crossed her mind wasn't important. She licked her thumb and proceeded to scrub his face clean of whatever he had just eaten.

"Ew, Mom! Stop!"

There was a spurt of new giggles from the family room. Chris turned to see the whole of the family watching as his mother cleaned him up.

"There, got it!" She smiled at him while he rubbed his face free of mom-spit with his sleeve and scowled. "Now, how about you head upstairs and see if those kids are hungry."

"Sure," he said quickly, grateful for the escape route. He turned toward the stairs.

"Oh, and bring your Aunt her cake please. She's in the attic scrying for those demons." She held out the plate.

Chris took the cake. "Right," he said as he made his exit. He did not notice the intensely whispered conversation between his siblings, and the look on his sister's face that was far too serious for a party.

--

He walked down the stairs of the attic, shaking his head and chuckling. His ears were still blistering from his Aunt's tirade. She was having no luck finding the demons, despite having their blood, Aunt Billie's GPS system, and doing some old-fashioned crystal swinging. Obviously, there was some of the upper-level demonic going on here and it was pissing her off. He was able to stop her mid-rant by suggesting they scry for the parents, or even try the 'Call for a Lost Witch' spell. She had looked at him in surprise for a moment before concluding that she always knew that dropping him on his head as a baby had done more good than harm. She had sent him on his way with instructions to get as much out of 'those kids' as possible and to compliment his mother on the cake.

He stopped outside of the old nursery and knocked on the door. They had turned it into a guest room when Priss had gotten old enough to want her own space. There had been quite a row when Priss announced that she was moving rooms, but when she calmly explained that she was tired of hearing when Dad stayed the night, there had been no further objections from Piper.

He knocked again, a little louder, and this time was rewarded with little shuffling sounds from beyond the door. The knob turned and the door swung open a ways. Standing there was a girl about his sister's age with big grey eyes and mid-length brown hair.

She looked up at him curiously and he felt the familiar probing of an empath. "Yes?"

He immediately threw up his mental barriers. "It's considered rude to poke around other people's emotions, don't you know?"

_Oh, that was smooth. Way to make her feel welcome, smartarse._

She blinked. "Oh! Sorry. Habit." Then she frowned slightly. "Do you always talk to yourself like that?"

It was Chris's turn to be shocked. Even Phoebe had never been able to get something so specific out of him, and considering that his mental shields were wicked strong... "Er-" _Uh oh._

She winced then, her hand going to her forehead. She rubbed her temples and grimaced. "Ow." She looked up at him, her eyes practically glowing with magic for a moment before dimming to back to grey. "I _am_ sorry. It usually doesn't come through that strong. Mental note to self never to tap you. Is there something you needed?"

He stared for a second before realizing that she wanted an answer. "Uh… My mom wanted to know if you would join us for dinner."

_What _was_ that?_

'It means she's dripping with magic, and could totally blow our cover.'

_Your cover, you mean._

'Annoying twit.'

She gave him a skeptical look, magic flickering through her irises. She blinked and it was gone. "Sure. Food sounds good." She closed the door softly behind her. "My brother is sleeping. He'll be out for a while."

"Ah." _Introduce us you pillock._ "I'm Chris, by the way."

"Cassie."

---

It was ridiculous how easily this girl fit in so quickly. They were _his_ family for crissake. Still strangers yes, but family, and he felt more awkward around them than she was. It helped, he supposed, that she already knew Priss and Shenny.

"So what did you get in Bio? I mean, I know that you actually liked the class and all but Guyer's tests are ridiculous and that last essay?"

"I know! That last question was killer but I must have done well on the rest because I ended up with an A- so…"

"Shut up! Really? Damn, I only got a B…"

"That's because you only study between boyfriends…"

"Ow! Hey!"

A scuffle ensued. Shenny continued to accuse Priss of being too boy crazy to study while Cassie tried to distract them with moderate success. Chris grinned to himself as he watched the giggling girls' sudden attempt to dogpile Wyatt, who had the misfortune of being the closest victim.

_You could go and join them, you know._

Chris started slightly. The voice had been quiet for so long. 'I…' he stuttered mentally. 'I don't know. I mean…'

Piper's voice interrupted his troubled thoughts. "Chris? Could you help me for a sec?"

"Sure." He pushed off the wall and moved into the kitchen. He crossed the threshold and got a nose full. "Pwah, what smells?"

"Mom's All Purpose Vanquishing Potion of course. I can't stop stirring, will you please hand me the powdered whatchamacallit- no, the black stuff- there. Thank you darling."

He handed her the… whatever it was he probably didn't want to know, and she threw it in with relish. He waved away the resultant puff of sulfurous smoke.

"Done, thank the Powers. Phoebe said the demons were Executioner, probably hired by someone, and she's located the ones that did the kidnapping."

"That's great."

"Yeah, except they've handed the parents off to a boss already, I'm sure, so we'll have to do some old fashioned torture to get the location out of them." The distaste on her face was plain. She hated resorting to such dirty tricks but sometimes it was necessary. "In any case, we'll have to wait till everyone has gone home. Phoebe wants to summon them here so we can control the situation."

_I wonder if she plans on tapping Cassie's power. _Chris raised his eyebrows at her. "Really? Are you gonna get Cassie to help?" He popped a leftover piece of cheese into his mouth as he watched his mother putter about the kitchen, pulling vials from the shelf and Tupperware from the cabinet.

"No." Piper turned to her son slyly. "Why? Do you want her to help?" She grinned at him.

"What? No, I just-"

"Oh ho! Getting all defensive now are we?" She smirked at him.

"Wait. Mom! No, I-" he sputtered, feeling the heat rise in his face.

She flicked a wet towel at him, snapping him on the leg.

"Ow! Mooooom." He rubbed his leg, pouting.

She smiled cheekily before handing him a large Tupperware. "Take this to your Grandfather before he leaves, and go enjoy your party before it's over. You've been mopey all day. I'll let you kids know when your Dad gets back so we can start this mission finally."

"Yes, mother," he said, rolling his eyes. 'What was _that_ all about?' he thought quietly to himself as he searched for his grandfather.

_Hell if I know. I mean, she's pretty and all but-_

He found him in the front hall helping an older lady into her coat. "Here you go Grandpa." Chris handed him the Tupperware of leftovers.

He smiled. "Happy Birthday, Chris." They exchanged a quick hug. Chris smiled at the woman at his grandfather's side and leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight Grandma Maggie. Thanks for coming you guys."

He watched them go before closed the front door. 'What do you mean, '_she's pretty_?' You were seriously thinking of how this girl _looks_ when you should be concerned about how much power she's packing?' He raised an eyebrow at himself in the mirror next to the door.

_Well excuse me mister I'm-Emotionally-Stunted but do you know how rare it is to have someone in this house who is not related to us or evil? You take what you can get, dude. Plus, she's a witch. I mean, we wouldn't have to hide a damn thing from her._

A hurricane of emotion caused his heart to constrict in his chest painfully. A wall of memories suddenly slammed through his brain and raced across his vision. He leaned against the wall heavily, grateful to be out of sight for the moment. Bianca…

_Shit. I'm sorry, I didn't think…_

'Yeah, well, think next time, will you Mister Hormones?' he thought bitterly. He straightened against the wall slowly, rubbing his chest. The memory lingered painfully there like the hole she'd put in his chest. With all his willpower he pushed the memories back into a dark corner of his mind.

_Bianca _Phoenix_? Oh hell. We really need to talk about this…_

'What do you-'

"Chris?"

He looked up, straightening up quickly to see Priss standing there.

She frowned at him. "Are you alright?" She put her hand to his forehead. "You've got frown lines."

He jerked away a little at the panicked prompting of his inner voice. "No, I'm good. Really-"

"Chris, what's wrong with your eyes?"

"Wrong?" _Panic now_. "Nothing's wrong."

"No, something's off. I can see it. I feel it."

_Uh oh._

'Wha-'

Suddenly, with more speed and strength than he could have guessed, she grabbed his arm, twisted, and had him pinned, her hand on his forehead.

And quite suddenly, she was there. In is head. With him and… well, himself.

_It's getting awfully crowded in here._

"Chris?"

'Yeah, about that...'

_Damn girl, but you are our mother's child._

Priss yelped like she'd been burned and snapped out of his mind.

Chris sat up, rubbing his shoulder. "You alright?" 'You didn't have to surprise her like that you know.'

Priss was in battle mode, her hands sparking with magic. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Your brother," he said resignedly. He slowly got to his feet, watching her.

"No! There was someone else in there," she hissed as she shifted her stance to follow him.

"We're both... It's a long story. Mom knows. It's fine." _Liar. _'Shut up.'

"What are you talking about?" she spat.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Look, could we do this somewhere where everyone else won't hear?" 'Here we go again,' he thought bitterly. 'I should have known better than to think it'd all turn out for the best.'

She nodded curtly. He beckoned her into the spare room. Just a few hours ago he had greeted his brother here with a light heart. She came warily as he flicked on the light.

"I'll show you," he said quietly, resigned. At the prompting of his Other self he sat on the edge of the bed and reached for her hands, drawing them toward him.

The thought briefly flickered across his mind was that he was becoming far too trusting already, and he pressed her cold hands to his temples.

.

_Yes yes, I know. It's been… well. Far too long. Blame school. And Japan. I did say I'd never give up on this story. Even if it takes me several more years… Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, and please give me feedback on things like the scene changes and this final sequence, they've been driving me nuts ever since I finished writing it up last week._

_With luck and love,_

Lady C


End file.
